By Tim Van Schmidt

I saw a lot of great stuff this year, the most fun being the set by the Monotonix. Before the set, these guys looked like more or less normal people. But once their show got started, they became crazy men, bashing around in and on the crowd while shoveling out a raw, hyped up punk-styled rock.

But the Monotonix weren’t the only band to leave the stage and get right in the audience. I really liked how New Jersey band Roadside Graves got into the crowd and not only performed their last song of the set, but got those around them to join in on the choruses in a mock revival style. I liked their kind of nervous but dramatic rock when they were on stage too.

The bands from Scotland- Frightened Rabbit and We Were Promised Jetpacks- were both strong and dramatically powerful too. I also saw strong bands fronted by female performers- Speakeasy Tiger and, one of my favorites of the festival, the Grates. Two other female performers also impressed- Danielle Ate the Sandwich (from my hometown of Fort Collins) and Rachel Goodrich, both of whom featured ukuleles in their set- yes, ukuleles- to underscore their quirky folk-styled songs.

Also, I enjoyed getting more familiar with groups that used computers and various electronic gear to make their music, like Beats Antique, French Horn Rebellion and Savoy. The best at that was the Glitch Mob, three guys punching at their screens and twisting knobs at a long skirted table stretched along the front of the main stage. But the most fun of the electronic oriented groups, above and beyond the music itself, was Chromeo, who combined effective lighting and stage props to underscore their upbeat dance grooves.

Of the more rock oriented bands, my favorite was Spindrift, who I thought could have been featured much later in the day and perhaps deserved a bigger audience. Spindrift also featured a tune with a little guest on stage- a young girl who wore a headdress and played a maraca, the youngest “performer” of the festival. As for hip hop, I’m generally not a big fan, but Rahzel’s set, including his human beat box angle, was energetic and fun. Of course, it was even more fun to actually give Rahzel a fist bump when I ran into him later by the back stage door.

Of the bands I have already seen, I was glad to hear Autovaughan again. I saw them during Monolith’s first year down on one of the little stages and this year they had graduated to the upper stage outside. Their music was thick and fully electric and I could see why they had been invited back. Of course, what was best of all was the set by Mars Volta, one of my favorite art rock bands of this century, who not only served up a big chunk of their white hot, roiling progressive music, but also some atmospheric experimental meandering that fit right in with Red Rocks at night, a few stars finally peeking out from the on again, off again cloud cover. The music at Monolith’s third year was just as challenging, interesting and diverse as the first year.